Mistakes of Past Days
by CrazyDiamondL
Summary: Katherine is a young businesswoman working for her father's company. She has done a lot to prove herself in a financial world but now her position is threathened by the Mikaelsons. Family she has not so good relations with. Will the confrontation with them change her view on the past and reflect on her future? Kalijah centric.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, hello again. Here I am with another Kalijah fic (even though I haven't completed my previous ones!). This one will be AH/AU fic, so something I have never done before. The premise is pretty simple and pretty familiar but I hope you still like it.**

**I know I am the worst updater in FF history but I promise I haven't forgotten about my other stories. I just needed this idea out of my head in order to continue with my old ones.**

**"To catch up with lost time" will be updated next week. I have written half of the new chapter already so please be patient.**

**As always remember English is not my native language so there might be mistakes along the way. Sorry for them.**

**So, to not prolong any further I give you _Mistakes of Past Days. _**

**__****_Disclaimer: I don't own TVD or any of its characters._**

**_Update: Huge, huge thanks to my lovely wife ( 50ShadesOfNeens) for the amazing Cover she made for this fic. I love it!_**

* * *

**_Chapter 1_**

She finally did it.

Katherine got out of an elevator on the 17th floor ready for her first day as CFO. Dressed in a black high-heeled pumps and two-piece black and white Chanel's dress suit she headed to her office.

She was ready. Now at the age of 29 she showed her father she is not weak, party-oriented, silly woman he always assumed she was. Oh no, she's not. For last 6 years she worked very hard to show him how competent and devoted she is. She wanted her father to acknowledge her as an experienced employee that she was and not the black-ship daughter in the family. Now she got her promotion at last. Her father CEO of Petrova's International Finances was finally ready to recognize her abilities and all the sacrifices she made along the way.

Last month she helped finalized a contract which guarantees them presence on Eastern European financial markets. It was a huge deal for her father's company and she was working on in for more than a year now. Katherine was proud of herself. Hell! Her father was proud of her - and that wasn't something that happened very often. Actually that never happened before. In their family, she always was the bad child, while her sister Nadia was the perfect child. Yet somehow Katherine never hated Nadia for that and they got along most of the time.

But the most important thing about this deal she made, was not her promotion or not even showing her father he was wrong about her. The best part was that they managed to anticipate their competitor's plan and successfully precede their movements. Now Mikaelson Global Trade was far behind and she was the main reason of that. For Katherine that was like icing on the cake.

She hated Mikaelsons. Well her whole family hated Mikaelsons. But she hated them the most. At least that was how she felt.

The Mikaelsons were obnoxious, conceited family who thought of themselves as royalty and the rest as a common folk. They treated everyone else like if they were beneath them. Maybe it was because they came from England and _allegedly_ hadsome royal connections - _Yeah 'royal connections' my ass_ Katherine thought. Or it was just because they were snobs. The whole family acted like every Petrova family member was not good enough for them.

It wasn't always like that though.

Katherine remembers that before she turned 18 their families seem to get along. It wasn't the best relationship two families could have - because the Mikaelson parents were always cold and reserved - but they as a children always had fun together. They went to the same private schools, invited each other to birthday parties - which Katherine really loved, especially Elijah's birthdays. They were always very fancy and extraordinary. - They even spent some vacation time together because their summer houses were right next to each other. It was nice.

The Mikaelsons had five children but the oldest one - Finn - died before Katherine was born. There was also Elijah who was four years older than her - yet he seemed even more mature, to Katherine he seemed like he wasn't interested in all the silly activities other teenagers were involve in - and Klaus two years older than she was. Klaus was always the loner so he kept to himself but Elijah treated her nicely considering the age difference. There was also Kol who was the same age Katherine was. They went to school together and they were best friends. Always making jokes or getting themselves into trouble. After they both turned 16 they attended every party that mattered and that they were able to get themselves into. The youngest one - Rebekah - was one year younger than her and was the same age as Katherine's sister - Nadia. Kath never liked Rebekah, yet her and Nadia seemed to get along just fine.

That all belonged to the past now. It all happened so long ago that the old times seem like a distant dream. Present times Mikaelsons were acting like they didn't know Katherine, like she was a stranger to them. Elijah was the only one acknowledging her but it was because they met from time to time on business occasions. Yet he was no longer nice to her, he was stone cold with every conversation they had. Fortunately there weren't that many of them. Klaus on the other hand was simply rude and her best friend Kol acted like they have never met. Avoidance became the tactic practiced by both sides.

Yes. Katherine hated them. She despised them because they made her feel meaningless. And she had enough of that in her own family, she didn't need anyone else trying to bring her down.

On her way to the office Katherine passed her assistant - Anna. She said hello and opened the door making her way straight to the desk.

"Good morning, Miss Petrova" the girl followed her bringing Katherine her tea.

Anna was nice, honest girl. At first Katherine didn't like her. She seemed too sweet and too weak for that job. Yet Katherine's opinion couldn't be further from the truth. The girl was well mannered, hardworking and resourceful but could be mean and tough when situation demanded it. She was exactly who Katherine needed.

"Good morning, Anna. And how many times did I tell you to call me Katherine." Kath gave her a serious look but they both knew she was joking.

"I'm sorry... Katherine" the girl responded with a smile. "Here are your messages" she gave Katherine a list. "Here are the documents you have to sign" she put the files on the desk in front of her "all meeting for this week has been updated on your calendar. And..." she paused for a second waiting for Katherine to seat in her chair.

"Yes Anna?" Katherine encouraged her to continue.

"Your father has been in his office from 6 AM and he wants you to see him right away." Now Katherine knew why Anna was afraid. That girl wasn't afraid of anyone accept her father. Actually she didn't know a single person that wasn't afraid of him. Beside the Mikaelsons of course.

"Shit." Katherine cursed under her nose. "Please call and tell him I am on my way."

"Right away." Anna said and left Katherine's office closing the door behind her.

Her first _official_ day in new position and there were already problems.

She went through the messages really quickly. Most of them usual but few of them caught her eye. One from her best friend Caroline, who was also her lawyer, one from her business contact in Europe and one form her old boyfriend Mason.

_What does he want? Why does he need me to call him?_ She haven't talked to him for like a year and a half now. What was his reason for contacting her personally insisting on a face-to-face meeting. All the business deals with Lockwoods were her father's area. Besides as far as she knew Mason wasn't in charge of the company. His brother was.

She put the messages back on her desk deciding to deal with them when she returns. She grabbed her phone from her Celine bag and went to see her father in his office.

* * *

"You wanted to see me father?" Katherine went inside her father's office.

It was nothing like hers. It seemed ten times bigger, had great lightening because of all the windows. It had comfortable leather sofa set, a mini bar, direct passage to conference room and don't forget private bathroom next to the office with fancy shower and a bathtub!

Katherine hoped that this office would be hers one day.

"Yes Katerina." Again with the _Katerina_. She hated when he called her that. "I've been waiting for you whole morning." He stated while looking at her from the paper work he was currently handling.

He was sitting in his chair in all his glory. Wearing his expensive suit. He still looked young even though he was 55. His hair were still dark as Katherine's, his eyes deep brown. Katherine inherited those from him as well. He was intimidating and if he wasn't her father Katherine would be scared of him like everyone else.

When he spoke to her his voice didn't betray anything about his state of mind. Neither did his face. But Katherine got use to that a long time ago. Her father had a perfect poker face.

"It's 7.30 AM, father." She said sarcastically but as soon as words left her mouth she regretted it. He didn't care for things like sarcasm. And while with personal matters she would gladly use it against him, this was business. She couldn't let herself look bad.

"You are now CFO Katerina, your work is never done. You should now it by now!" He was patronizing her. And she hated it.

Her father never took her seriously and maybe part of it was her fault because she partied all the time as she was a teenager. But most of his judgment arose from Katherine being a girl. Her father wanted a son to take his company but the first child that was born to him was a girl. The biggest disappointment and regret of his life.

"I know." She stated. It was best not to argue with him. She accepted the fact he will never fully trust her in professional cases. "What did you wanted to talk to me about? Anna said it was important." Changing the subject was always the best strategy.

"It's about Lockwood deal." He said and Katherine began to think that Mason's call wasn't a coincidence. "They are starting to back up from our merger. It was almost done deal. Their board seemed to approve of it but now their making new demands. Ridiculous, I may add." Her father remained his cool exterior but she knew he was furious on the inside.

This merger was crucial thing for their company. It was suppose to help them execute their European deal. Joining this two companies' assets guaranteed stronger starting position at the financial markets. And now? Why would they want to back out. This deal was as important and as potentially-profitable for Lockwoods as it was for Petrova's International Finances.

_Are you kidding me? _She thought.

Something was telling her that Mikaelsons had everything to do with this. Especially after the message she from them on the same day, she closed her deal with Europe. They had to be angry that this insignificant, badly-mannered girl - as they thought of her - stole the contract right from their noses.

_#####_

_When she finally came back from work it was late at night. She was very tired, exhausted even, but she was extremely happy. The months of hard work and late nights paid off. After her conference call, during which they finally closed the deal, the last thing to do, was to get the paper work ready. So she spent the rest of her day with Caroline and her associates preparing the documents to be sign. But the signature was just the formality and her father's area. She did everything she was suppose to. And she succeeded. _

_She took her mail and headed up to her apartment. She was trying to take out her keys form her bag but it was difficult since she had one hand occupied by chinese take out, she bought earlier. When she opened her door and came inside, she notice an envelope lying on the floor. She put everything on the kitchen table and went back to pick it up._

_She was curious why wasn't this delivered with her traditional mail. It was a little unsettling. _

_She opened it and took a card out of the envelope._

_Katherine noticed that this wasn't usual note. It was a personalized stationery and she recognized it. It was Mikaelson Family stationary. There was a message. "Miss Petrova, We want to congratulate you on your first successful deal. This project can weigh on your entire future. Good luck." There was no signature. _

_It looked like innocent note. But to anyone who knew Mikaelsons like Katherine did, it was a threat. She was sure of that._

_#####_

"Do you think someone is working against us?" Katherine asked carefully.

"It looks like it." There was an awkward pause before he continued. "Could you find out what is it about? We can't have this merger sabotaged now. You yourself know perfectly well how important it is for us. At this point if it fails we could be ruined."

Katherine knew her father wasn't asking her that because she was a CFO. He was asking her because she had a past with Lockwoods. With one Lockwood in particular. She wasn't sure how much she could accomplish by engaging with Mason. They haven't actually been friends lately. But there were other resources she could use. Caroline was engaged to Tyler Lockwood, Mason's nephew. He could be her back up plan or her go-to plan depending on how the situation progresses.

"Of course father." She answered. "I will get right on it."

She got up from her chair and left the office right away.

* * *

"Anna could you come in?" she asked her assistant while she was looking through her company mail.

"Sure, Miss... Katherine. I'll be right there." She answered. Few seconds later the door opened and Anna came in holding her iPad in her hand.

"What I can do for you?" the girl asked.

"Please call Caroline and check if she's free for lunch." Katherine said. "If you could delicately mention that it's important that would be great." She added. "And call mister Mason Lockwood back. Tell him if he wants to have a meeting I am free for dinner tomorrow. And that he can choose the place." She hesitated. She couldn't sound too desperate to Mason or he will know something is up.

"Scratch that." She said while she took a sip of her already cold tea. "Call him and tell him that I am open to a meeting with him and schedule it yourself. But don't take the first time he will offer you. You know the drill." Katherine smiled.

"Yes." Anna smiled back. "I am on it." With that she left.

Few minutes later she told Katherine Caroline will meet her for lunch in their usual place.

Katherine responded to her emails, went through quarterly statement and sing some documents. When she finished she realized it was already lunch time and she had no time to think of a strategy to her Lockwood problem. She will have to improvise with Caroline. After all they were friends. She didn't have to watch herself as much when it came to her.

* * *

When Katherine got to the restaurant Caroline was already there.

She looked gorgeous as always. Her hair sunny blond with curls that cascaded down her shoulders. Blue eyes that were more beautiful than the ocean. She was always in perfect shape due to yoga classes she attended few times a week. Today she was wearing cobalt pencil dress that fitted her perfectly. Showing her curves in all the right places. If it was any other woman Katherine would be jealous. But not with Caroline. They were in a good place.

Katherine and Caroline met while Kath was studying at the University. They hadn't have any classes together because they had different majors. But they were introduced by their mutual friend Stefan. Katherine use to date Stefan and in the beginning assumed Caroline did too - which would be awkward. - But then they met closer and she realized this blond creature is like sister to Stefan. When Caroline needed a roommate the second year she immediately offered Katherine a room. At first Kath thought they wouldn't get along because they were both so different. - Katherine was sarcastic, mean to most people and very independent. Caroline on the other hand was positive, very active and very social. - But somehow they did got along perfectly. And now they were best friends.

"I am so happy you called." Carline stood up to greet her friend. "I already ordered for myself. Hope you don't mind but I was famished." She said with a smile.

"Not at all." Katherine sat down across the table. "Glad you could make it."

The waiter came and took Katherine's order a moment later. After he left she continued their conversation.

"I must admit that I had hidden motive to meet with you today." She stated.

"What is it Kat?" Caroline was the only one who Katherine allowed to call that. If it was every other person he or she would probably be dead by now. Even though her birth name was _Katerina_ she expected everyone to call her Katherine. Kat, Kitty, Katerina were forbidden for others to use. Except few people. Caroline was one of them.

"I need your help." She didn't want to dive in straight to the conversation.

"Kat. Tell me." Caroline sounded worried.

"I... well we have a problem with Lockwood deal." Caroline looked at her with suspicion. "You know how the merger was a done deal. Everything was settled and all." She took a sip of a water. "Well they are backing up now. And with no good reason. That is why I need to know why?"

Now it was Caroline who drank her water. She was a little uneasy about what Katherine was trying to suggest. She was the one always strictly by the book. Following every rule.

"What do you expect from me Katherine?" She wasn't angry but Katherine could feel they are entering dangerous territory.

"I know I ask a lot. But is there any way you could find something out from Tyler?"

"Katherine. You know I can't do that." There it was. "He's my fiancée. I can't use him like that. And I told you once, that I don't talk to him about work because I sort of work for you. And you _are_ the competition."

She knew Caroline wouldn't go for that but she had to try.

"Ok. I understand. But please if you hear anything - not from Tyler, just around - could you let me know."

"Of course sweetie." Caroline smiled. The waiter came in bringing Katherine her order.

"Thank you." She responded and the waiter went away.

"So tell me." Caroline continued their conversation. "What is it with that deal?"

"Oh I think we are being sabotaged." Caroline looked at her with curious expression so she continued her theory. "I think Mikaelsons are mad that I exceeded them with my deal in Europe and now they want to screw us over on the other end. We need Lockwoods to make Europe deal work in our favor and they know it." Katherine also added the story with mysterious note.

"You really thinks so?" Caroline wasn't so sure. She didn't know Mikaelsons personally but she's seen them few times and heard of them few things. Not all of them nice. Well, most of them not nice. They weren't playing around neither in business nor in private life.

"That's what I need to find out." Katherine answered.

They stayed silent for a while to enjoy their meal when Caroline spoke again.

"I met one of them few days ago."

"Who?" Katherine seemed disoriented for a second until she remembered what they were talking about. "Mikaelson? Which one?" She was curious now.

"Klaus." She answered.

"Oh. Him." Katherine pitied her friend. "He is the worst. No scratch that. His parents are the worst. But he is almost as bad. Where did you meet him?"

"Remember that art exhibit I told you about?" Caroline reminded her.

"The one Tyler was suppose to take you?" Katherine vaguely remembered Caroline mentioning something about it.

"That one." She confirmed. "He was there. Apparently he and Ty are old buddies or something. That's how I met him."

Katherine almost chocked on her food. _Tyler Lockwood and Klaus Mikaelson knew each other?_ That was definitely suspicious. "They are friends?" She couldn't believe it. How was it she heard it for a first time now? She dated Mason and he talk about his nephew a lot. Yet this was first for her.

"That's what Ty told me. But they didn't look like friends to me."

"Yeah Klaus doesn't have any friends. He is real son of a bitch." Katherine wasn't exaggerating

"Yes." Caroline continued. "I keep forgetting that you use to know them."

"Please, don't remind me."

They continued they lunch without any Mikaelson talk. Just two friends sharing a meal and exchanging stories from past few days. After lunch ended Katherine headed back to her office.

* * *

It was almost 6 PM and Katherine was still working in her office. She took a little break putting her current work on hold for a moment. Her intention was to came up with an idea how to save the merger, yet nothing useful came to mind. Her father will be working on that deal through official channels, negotiating, changing the conditions stalling them so Katherine can know what the real problem is.

She will have to use Mason for that. After all it was him who contacted her, not the other way around. And Katherine was almost sure it had everything to do with the Merger. Even if he still had feelings for Katherine the fact that he contacted her in this particular moment was too big of a coincidence. And she did not believed in coincidence.

A call interrupted her train of thoughts. And she was brought back to reality. "Yes?" She answered the internal line.

"Katherine as you asked I scheduled your meeting with Mason Lockwood the in three days – on Friday at 7. Mister Lockwood suggested Moseby's. Is that ok with you?" Anna asked about her confirmation.

"Yes that is fine. You can make a confirmation." Katherine responded. She was wondering what was Anna still doing here when she was suppose to go home and hour ago. Especially after she came an hour early this morning. And Anna?"

"Yes?" The girl responded curiously.

"Go home its late."

"I will. Thank you. And good night."

"Have a good night Anna" Katherine disconnected the call. She had two day to prepare herself for the meeting and for now she was in the dark. She needed more information to know what to expect from Mason. She hadn't seen him for a year now.

#####

_15 months ago_

_"I'm sorry Mason but I can't..." Katherine couldn't believe what was happening. "It's too soon."_

_"Katherine. I love you." Mason was looking at her all confused. He was still holding the box with the ring in his hand. He had it all planned out. When Katherine came back from work there was a dinner waiting for her on the table. Candles, roses, romantic music - all the package. She was afraid something like this was going to happen. _

_Most woman her age dream to have a family or already have one. She was not one of them. At least not yet. Yes, she was almost 28 and yes, her time to potentially become mother was running out but she wasn't ready for a serious commitment. Not just yet. She has been with Mason for about a year now. - God it was exactly a year! This was their anniversary and she totally forgot! - But she was busy at work, trying to prove herself. She couldn't start a family, when her life was a mess. She wanted to sort things out on the business front first. Especially with this new deal she started to work on._

_"I love you too Mason but you're moving too fast. You know I am so busy at work that we barely see each other. I just wanted to ground my position in company first. You know how important it is for me." She was asking him to reconsider his proposal._

_"Am I not important to you?" His voice was now raised. "We're 28 Katherine. How long do you want to wait?" His anger was visible on his face. "For god's sake Katherine. Your younger sister already has a child and she is a lesbian!" _

_"Stop!" He crossed the line. He knew how she hated being compared to her sister. Even though she loved her dearly. "Don't you even dare to go there. I love you, but I told you what I wanted when we started dating. You seemed to have accepted it then." She raised her voice too, to match up with his. They were arguing now._

_"Yeah. But that changed." He stopped for a second like he was trying to find the right words for what he has to say next. "I can't accept that now. It is either me or your job, Katherine. You have to choose!"_

_"Don't do this Mason." She begged him._

_"Choose." His voice was now calm._

_"I... can't." She couldn't give up on her job. If she did, she would have never been able to look at herself in the mirror. She made a promise to herself almost five years ago to do whatever it takes to show people she is not weak. That she can be whoever she wants to. That she is not a failure. _

_"We're over Katherine." He said, not waiting for her to react and left her apartment. _

_Katherine didn't cry that day. Or any following day for that matter. _

_#####_

* * *

**Ok. So that is the first chapter. Tell me what did you think. Do you want to read more?**

**Thanks for reading.**

**Much Love.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello. Hello. My lovely readers!**

**I am back with another chapter. I know I kept you waiting. Sorry for that. I will do my best with updates but you know me and it sometimes takes time for me to do it.**

**Thank you for being so patient :)**

**Special Thank Yous with warm hugs go to Kassy for being my constant support with this fic and my many others. She's the one who kicks my ass for slacking, inspires and encourages me to write more Kalijah.  
You can kick my ass some more, so my inspiration would come sooner and who knows maybe one day I will write a brilliant Kalijah fanfiction with your help! **

* * *

_**Chapter 2.**_

Elijah was sitting in his office working afterhours like every day for a past year. It was 7 PM when his father came in. Elijah was a little surprised, because he thought he was the last one here. Besides it was Mikael who usually summoned people to his office, not the other way around.

"Is there anything wrong father?" Elijah asked confused.

"I just wanted to talk to you about our Lockwood business." He stated while sitting on one of the chairs.

"Anything in particular?" Elijah asked and stopped the work he was doing to focus on the conversation.

"It is still hard to tell at this point. Yet it looks like the odds are in our favor. And we are definitely in the better position that we were a week ago."

"That is not good Elijah and you know it." Mikael wasn't satisfies with the results. "We have to be sure."

"Well apparently Niklaus has been helping with securing the deal for us. He and Tyler Lockwood use to be friends and this development can work to our advantage."

"I hope you are right Elijah but this is Niklaus you are talking about. He has never been trustworthy and never showed any interest in our family business. Counting on him to deliver is a big risk, Elijah. He is not..." Mikael was trying to tell Elijah that letting Klaus near that deal is a mistake but Elijah cut him off.

"He has contacts I do not have. And surprisingly, this time he seems to be interested and concerned about the firm. Or at least in this case in particular. So I think we should allow him to prove himself, father." Elijah knew that Klaus being interested in company's matters was unexpected but without him, there was a good chance they would have lost that deal. Of course he didn't told his father the whole truth.

When Niklaus first offered his help Elijah thought his brother was telling the truth about his friendship with Tyler Lockwood. But he soon found out that Klaus in fact knew Tyler from time when they when to college together but that was as far as it went. The rest was a lie. The real reason Tyler Lockwood decided to help Klaus and their company was because Niklaus was apparently was using blackmail as a way of convincing. Niklaus apparently learn a shameful secret Tyler was hiding and decided to use it against him.

Elijah didn't approve of the way Niklaus handled things but when he learned the truth, the crime was already committed. They were in fact taking huge risk, if it ever came out. But Elijah was desperate for any help, so he used his brother for that. It was awful thing to do and went against everything he stood for. Yet it was about their family and Mikeal insisted this deal was essential for their company to stay afloat.

Something told Elijah that this wasn't that serious. They numbers weren't bad this year comparing to their competitors. He suspected his father's motives might have something to do with Petrova deal in Europe. The one Katerina managed to secure, before he did.

She was a stubborn that one. She was hell bent on making their company fall and in the process make herself climb up the ladder in her own firm. She once swore to him, they will pay for underestimating her. No one believed her then. His family thought she will make a joke out of herself. Yet here he was. Breaking his rules to prevent her from taking them down.

###

_He and Niklaus were eating lunch, like they did every week, when they both saw Katerina Petrova with another blond woman entering the restaurant. Though he and his brother noticed her arrival, she remained unaware of their presence. _

_"What is **SHE** doing here?" Niklaus said when he saw them find there table. He was definitely not happy to see her._

_"We live in the same city Niklaus. Be civil." He was trying to calm his brother. _

_"I hate her and her whole fucking family."_

_"Language Niklaus." Elijah hissed at him. "Can't we just have a normal, peaceful lunch? Two brothers..." he spoke but was cut off by a ring that was coming from his phone. He looked at the screen. "I am sorry. I have to take it. I will be right back." He apologized, got up from his chair and went to the hallway, where he could talk._

_When he came back moments later, he saw that Niklaus wasn't sitting at their table. He was petrified when he realized his brother was sitting at Katherine's table. There was no sign of her friend though. Niklaus' voice was raised and he was definitely making his opinion of her known to her. _

_As he came closer, he heard Katherine say: "How is it my fault your brother ended up in a rehab?" _

_"You were the one who took him to all these parties." Niklaus was accusing her._

_"Yeah, it was definitely **my** idea." She laughed at his brother._

_"You're toxic. I bet your friend left here running because she realized that too." _

_Elijah approached them but neither of them noticed him. He stood next to his brother looking straight at him avoiding Katherine's sight. "Brother we should leave." He said encouraging his brother to stop._

_"I am not finished with that bitch, Elijah." He was not shy about calling her names._

_"Come Niklaus!" He ordered._

_This time his brother listened. He got up from the table yet he didn't return to theirs but went straight outside instead. Elijah decided not to follow him. It was best to leave him alone, so he could calm down. He decided to stayed and finish his meal without any drama._

_When he paid his bill and went to get his car he saw Katherine standing alone in the parking lot. She was looking for something in her bag - probably a car key. _

_She looked different than he remembered her. Her party girl look was all gone. Now she was wearing simple black dress and a cardigan. Her hair was pulled in a classic bun in the back of her head. She looked beautiful. Without thinking, he approached her with intention to apologize for what happened in the restaurant. Half way through she saw him walking towards her. She was not happy about it._

_"What do you want?" _

_"I wanted to..." He started to speak but she cut him off._

_"Kick a woman while she's down." Katherine said sarcastically. _

_"I wanted to apologize Ka.." He stopped himself realizing he almost called her 'Katerina'. Like he use to do. No one called her that anymore. Elijah knew she demanded from everyone to call her Katherine. "I wanted to apologize for what my brother said to you, Katherine."_

_"Of course you do. Because **noble **Elijah never has to apologize for what **HE** did. Yet he has to keep his family's appearances intact. Forget it. I don't **want**, nor do I **need** your apologies." She spatted. _

_"Stop acting childish, Katerina." Oh hell! He wasn't suppose to say it. And she noticed that. There was a second that he saw something in her eyes but she quickly covered it up._

_"Grow up Elijah. You act all noble with your rules and priorities, judging everyone else. Yet you idly stand by, watching your family cheat, betray and bring others down. You, Mikaelsons are not better than the rest of us, you know!" She was now screaming at him._

_"Calm down, Katherine." He asked her to lower her voice. He didn't want to bring any attention to their conversation. _

_She crossed the line. What Niklaus said to her was wrong but she had no right to attack his family. It was him who was now angry at her. "Grow up! Stop being so immature and irresponsible. Look at you. You are what? 23? You are spoiled and have no real purpose in your life. Instead of looking at others why don't you look at yourself first. You are still in school and the only reason you're studying finances is so that your father would continue to give you money. Get a real job. Do something useful with your life."_

_There was a silence between them for a while._

_He saw her look and he knew he went too far. He wasn't like that. Why would he said all those things to her? He didn't want to hurt her but she was making him act out of character. She was stirring up all this emotions inside him. _

_"Fuck you, Elijah! Fuck! YOU! I am NOT spoiled and immature. You know nothing about me. And how would you? You haven't seen me in five years! I am not weak and I will achieve my goals one day. And when I do, you will be sorry. I will walk all over you and your conceited family while I climb to reach my place on the top! And destroying you, while I get there, will bring me nothing but pleasure." She took a pause to breath. "I hope to never see you again." With that she turned around and walked away not allowing him a chance to respond. _

_"I promise you, you won't" He said to her back while she was walking away knowing she will hear him. Why was he acting like that. It was so not like him to yell at people on the street. It was so not like him to yell at people at all._

_He went to his car and drove to his apartment._

_###_

"Elijah?" His father's voice brought him back to earth. He got lost in his memories for a second there. _What were they talking about? Oh, yes._ He remembered. Lockwood deal and Klaus' involvement.

"I will keep an eye on everything father." He said trying to ease his father's concerns.

Mikael got up from his chair. "Do everything you can, to make that deal happen, Elijah. I don't need to tell you how important it is to me, to us and to company." Then he left leaving Elijah alone with his worries.

Elijah looked at his watch. It was late. He will have to go home now. Tatia is probably waiting for him. Considering all the long hours he spent in his office this month she should be furious at him. Yet she hasn't said a word to him, she hasn't complain once. She was a perfect fiancée.

Elijah wanted to surprise Tatia. Last week - last month - he was focusing on work so much that he sometimes was forgetting that he had a fiancé. That there was a woman waiting for him in their apartment. He was feeling guilty. He wasn't that kind of a man, the kind of work obsessed that neglects his wife kind of man. His father was like that and he didn't want to be like him.

That is why Elijah decided to left work earlier than usual. He even bought her favorite flowers. It was a good step to make it up for the lost time. A chance to spend a nice evening together.

He came to the apartment but there was no sign of Tatia anywhere. He looked in the kitchen, in the living room. He even checked his study, even though Tatia rarely came there. After checking lower floor, Elijah made his way upstairs.

When Elijah went into the last room - that also happened to be their bedroom - he saw something that boiled the blood inside his veins.

Tatia was having intercourse with another man! In their bed!

She saw him as soon as he came inside. Pushing still unaware guy away from herself and jumping out from bed to grab her clothes. "Elijah?" She was shocked to see him; definitely not expecting him to be back so soon. "You…"

He stopped her before she was able to continue.

"I think your _friend_ should leave, right now."Elijah said to Tatia calmly. Not wanting to make a scene in front of naked stranger.

"Elijah please let me explain!" Tatia begged Elijah as she was trying to cover her body. Putting her clothes on as quickly as she could. "It's not what it looks like."

The man dressed himself faster than Tatia not wanting to be the part of what he thought would be impending argument. He mumbled some apologies that were barely hearable and left the room. Leaving Elijah alone with her.

"So my eyes deceived me and you were not having sex in this bed – our bed, with another man!?" Elijah's voice was still.

"I did it for us!" She was trying to convince him. She grabbed his arm trying to hold his sight but he backed away from her. He despised her. She could see it in his eyes.

"Don't embarrass yourself Tatiana." He was mocking her now; His voice was cold and sarcastic.

"It's true! I only slept with Mason to get information out of him! To help the company! Your father…" Tears were running down her cheeks. She was begging Elijah to forgive her.

"What has my father to do with it?!" The mention of Mikeal made him angry. But he didn't want to hear anything more from Tatia. He wasn't even hurt she cheated on him. He was just angry at himself that he didn't see it. That he didn't see who Tatia truly was. "You know what? Don't bother yourself with unnecessary explanations. I am sure you made up some great excuses." Tatia tried to answer to him but he stopped her before she could add another word. "I can't do this right now."

Elijah went to his walk in closet, took out a suitcase and started packing some of his clothes. Tatia followed him, trying to stopped him. Pleading, begging, asking for him to understand her motives. But he no longer cared for any of it. Her betrayal opened his eyes.

"I will move to the hotel. I need a time to think." He said while he walked into the bedroom again.

"Elijah…" She threw herself to his feet dramatically. "You can't do this!"

"Yes, I can." He turned towards her to say his final goodbye. "I will get rest of my necessities and leave. Don't try to contact me for now. Tatia. I won't answer anyway. I will call you when I am ready to talk about _this._" He exited the room, leaving her pleading on the floor.

* * *

Next morning Katherine came into her office with a plan. She hasn't slept almost all night because her brain was coming up with different ideas. And she knew that in business deals like that one plan was not enough. No she needed plan B, and plan C and so long.

First thing she realized was she couldn't go to the meeting with Mason clueless. She had to found out everything she knew about him. And fast.

When she sat down and finished the tea she brought with herself, she called Anna into her office.

"Yes Katherine? What can I do for you?" She said when she came in.

"I have somehing urgent for you." Katherine started. "Call our PI, tell him to find everything on Mason Lockwood as fast as he can." April was nodding and taking notes. "Tell him - and its important - he can only dig into his personal life, not company's business. We can't be involved in corporate espionage. He should also check into Tyler Lockwood and Richard Lockwood. I need as much as he can find for tomorrow - 5 PM. The most important are their recent activities, new contacts, all she can dig up." She paused. "We need him to work on it from now on. And tell him it's a priority - money is not an obstacle."

"I will do it right now."

"There is also other thing I need to ask you. Could you do some research about Mikaelsons? You know from the social point of view. Where they go? Who they met? Friends. Enemies. Everything you can find on the internet. Klaus and Elijah would be mine main focus. And if you could find out how Klaus Mikaelson met Tyler Lockwood that would be helpful."

"Not a problem. Is there anything else?" She asked once again.

"No. It's all for now." Katherine said and Anna left her office.

She did some research herself yesterday, while she couldn't sleep but she didn't find anything that she didn't already know.

Klaus was famous womanizer and recognized painter, his art was very valuable and appreciated in higher circles. Klaus was never involved with family company and he liked to stress that fact as often as he could. Elijah on the other hand was his father's right hand in business. He didn't attend social events, unless they were important for their company's image. He was engaged with daughter of Belarusian ambassador – Tatiana Pietrovskaya, who also happens to be working for Mikaelson Global Trade. Nothing useful came out of Katherine's late night research. Unless you count the fact, that they were planning to get married June of next year, useful intel.

Time was running out and Katherine wasn't closer to finding out why Lockwood's decided to back out.

When finally came Friday, Katherine got really nervous. She was sitting in her office but she wasn't able to concentrate on her current tasks at all. Her mind was speeding making it hard for her to compose one coherent thought. Things were not going her way.

If this merger falls through, everything she worked for would be for nothing and after all these years of hard work and proving herself, she will be in square one again.

Katherine was a little startled when she suddenly heard a buzz followed by Anna's voice.

"Yes, Anna?" She responded by hitting a button on her speaker set.

"You have a call from the P.I. guy" The girl informed her.

"Finally!" Katherine was waiting for this call all day. "Put him through."

She waited to her the signal.

"Hello, Miss Petrova." She heard him speak. "This is Alaric Satl-"

"Yes. I know mister Saltzman." She rudely cut him off. "Do you have anything for me?"

"I found out few things about Lockwood family." He said vaguely.

"What did you learn about them?" Katherine was impatient. Her voice urging him to elaborate on the discovery.

"About Mason Lockwood I didn't learn much. He is very careful man. I followed him to the meating yesterday but was not able to see whom he was meeting. He acts like he suspects he could be followed." He waited for Katherine's acknowledgment.

"Go on."

"Tyler on the other hand isn't that careful." He continued. "Your assistant told me he is engaged to one of your associates Caroline Forbes?"

"He is… What is this about?"She asked confused.

"Well… I caught mister Lockwood, with another woman, she definitely was not Miss Forbes." He stated uncomfortably.

"Bastard!" Katherine shouted.

She always hated Tyler. She knew he was shady. He never treated Caroline with respect her friend deserved, often putting her second to his other plans or interests. But this?! Having an affair with other woman. This was new low for him. _Lying, cheating piss of shit! _She thought.

"Are you absolutely sure?"She wanted to be absolutely certain. If she was to inform Caroline she needed to be sure. She needed a proof.

"Yes, mam. I followed him today and made some photos of him being cozy – very cozy if I may – with some tall brunette." This was perfect news. Pictures was proof enough for Katherine to present this indiscretions to her friend.

Her thoughts went to Caroline. She will be devastated. This asshole will break her best friend's heart.

"Sent me the pictures immediately." She ordered. "Anything else."

"Yes and no." Alaric continued. "I heard some buzz about Richard Lockwood but no one was able to specify what has been going on with him."

"This is useless to me unless you know what that thing is!" Katherine was greatly disappointed.

"It wasn't much time I had to work with, miss…" Katherine interrupted him again.

"I don't care about that. I only care about results. Dig deeper find out more about Tyler and this girl. Find out more about Richard. That is what I pay you for. And do it fast." She ordered.

"Of course miss Petrova. I will get right on it." He promised her. "Have a nice day miss Katherine." He said as he ended the call.

Katherine was angry. The information she got were useless. How was she going to face Mason now, not knowing what he wanted from her.

She was strong person. She thought of herself as such, but all these events were making her nervous. Doubts started to creep up upon her.

* * *

Katherine went into the restaurant they both agreed upon.

She was wearing dark purple, sheath dress with boat neckline, black pumps and simple pearls around her neck. She let her curls cascade freely on her shoulders. Katherine wanted to look sexy, yet effortless.

The waiter asked for her name and led her to the table in the back of the room. Mason was already waiting for her. He got up from the chair as she approached him.

"Hello Katherine." He spoke while pulling out a chair, offering her a seat.

Katherine took a good look at Mason. He was as handsome as she remembered. His light hair were still a messy but endearing feature. He was wearing dark pants with grey button up shirt that made his blue eyes pop out.

"Hello Mason." She smiled at him. "You look good." She added as he sat in front of her.

The waiter took an order for their meal and then poured a wine, that Mason previously ordered, into their glasses. He left the bottle with them as he excused himself.

"So..." He finally said breaking the awkward silence. "How have you been?"

"I've been good." Katherine said as she took a sip of the wine. "It's really good." She smiled as she diverted from the subject.

At first Katherine intent was to be polite, pretend she doesn't know why he invited her. Play nice. But when she sat there in front of him she remembered how well they knew each other and if she wanted to achieve anything with him, she would have to play another game. He would never buy _nice Katherine _act.

"It's really nice to see you, I will admit, but I have a feeling you didn't invite me here to reminisce and lead idle chit chat."

Mason laughed. "Oh, Katherine. You are as blunt as always. I like that about you." He took a glass of wine himself and played with it. "I was going to have nice evening first and then talk business but…"

Katherine interrupted him.

"You know we can always have nice evening later, nothing stays in a way of that, if I like what you came here to tell me, we can continue having fun." She smiled at him openly. Flirting was one of strategy used by her more often.

"Maybe we can." He agreed.

"So, what did you want to talk about? It has to be important if you decided to call me… of all people." Reminding him their past wasn't a good move, but Katherine wanted to know his reaction. She wanted to know where she stood with him. If he was over, what she did to him last year, then she could know how much she could rely on this new deal, he was about to present to her.

"Oh, well. Trust me I had my doubts." He took a sip a his wine. "I was angry at you. I really was, for some time, but I moved on."

He seemed honest in his answer. Katherine knew Mason was never a bad guy. From his family, he was actually the most genuine guy, even though most people thought otherwise. They were alike in a way. Both misjudged by their families. That was the main reason they understood each other so well back then.

"It's not how I meant the things to go between us." She hesitated. "It's just…"

"… wasn't meant to be." Mason finished for her. "Let's not go back to that."

"What is the business you wanted to discuss?"

"You know me and my brother were never on the greatest terms, neither were I and my nephew Tyler." Katherine nodded in agreement. "Until now, I was mostly on the backseat with our company, my brother taking charge. I want to change it."

"You want me to help you."

Mason's smirk confirmed her words. "See? I knew I can count on you."

"I didn't agree on anything yet." She responded smiling. "Especially since you haven't told me anything at all."

"Yes, well." Mason finished his glass of wine and pored himself another one. "I have it on good authority that your deal falling through was due to my nephew's involvement. He has been working with Mikealsons."

"Well. That much I have figured out myself." Katherine was not going to make it easy on him.

"True but there is no way you can change that. You can't stop Tyler and undo his meddling." Katherine had to agree. She was unable to do it by herself. At least not now.

"So what do you propose?"

"Help me find the way to undermine Tyler in the eyes of the Board and I will help you with your deal." He offered bluntly.

"No offense Mason." Katherine huffed at him. "But if I were to find a way to stop Tyler, this would make Mikaelkson's deal useless and my deal back on track. I wouldn't need you, to help me with this deal."

"Are you sure about it?" Mason seemed convinced that Katherine deal in his borther's reigns is dead and will stay that way. "Even if you find a way to stop Tyler's deal with them that wouldn't mean yours would be valid again. My brother is stubborn and the only person he would listen is Tyler. You have no way in into the company but if we work together I'm sure we can make that deal happen from both ends."

"But you said it yourself, your brother will listen only to him, not you."

"That's true but if we make Tyler go away. I am the next person in line. That is why I need your help."

"You are talking as if you want to kill Tyler."

"Don't joke that way." He said in all seriousness. "I love Tyler but he is immature unstable boy. He will drive this company to the ground if given a chance."

Katherine seemed confused. There was something Mason had to be keeping away from her. Making Tyler unfit to work in company – officially or not – wouldn't change anything. "But your brother is CEO, he is the one you should be worried about."

Mason poured Katherine and himself a little more wine and then he drank from his glass.

"Richard won't be CEO for long, he is announcing his resignation within a month." He smiled at her deviously.

Katherine was shocked. This had to be the thing Saltzman was talking about. Mikaelsons found the perfect opportunity to use Tyler to their advantage. The detail was: were they lucky and found the perfect timing for their attack or have they found that out before she was able to.

"But that would mean…" She didn't finish the sentence.

"Yes. And he will need to be replaced. The Board will decide between me and Tyler. I need a way to make my candidacy more appealing. So I will be chosen over Tyler."

''But why do you tell me this?"

"No one knows it yet. And I will tell you this as a sign I take our deal seriously."

Katherine nodded.

"Richard is going to announce his resignation soon. He will also announce his candidacy for a governor seat."

"So that is why Tyler is suddenly active in company's business deals." Katherine stated. "He will be fighting you over this, Mason. And he has his father's support."

"Richard himself cannon nominate Tyler. Only the Board has real say in this matter. I need to convince them before Richard influences them to vote for Tyler. That is where you come in."

In the beginning Katherine was wondering why Mason even needed her. He could very well dig some dirt on Tyler by himself. Or hire someone to do it, like she did.

And then it hit her.

Of course! It was brilliant. Mason needed someone else to do the dirty work for him. He needed his hands clean. So no one could accuse him of burying Tyler.

"You need me to find a dirt on Tyler because you can't do it yourself."

Masons smile confirmed it.

"You can't have anything tying you to this."

"I knew you would understand." He said with confident voice. But he wasn't mocking her.

Katherine still wasn't sure about Mason's offer. She had some dirt on Tyler she could use but there were things she still had to consider. First of all. Caroline. She was her best friend and she didn't want to lie to her or hurt her. It also could been not sufficient enough reason to get Tyler unfit in eyes of the Board. It could be enough to blackmail him into resigning. But this would be messy and could blow back into her face.

"I will consider it." She was honest. She needed to think about it. She wanted this merger back on track desperately but she knew the consequences could be substantial.

"You don't have much time Katherine."

She took a big sip of her wine. "I will let you know tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is good." He said as the waiter approached them with their food. "For now we can enjoy our dinner."

Katherine and Mason finished their dinner. Katherine had a really good time. Surprisingly. But she always thought that if Mason and her never dated, they could have been good friends.

Not many people in the world understood her without judging – Caroline, Mason and maybe Stefan. That's all.

They both went out of the restaurant.

Katherine wanted to grab a cab back home but Mason opposed. He offered her a ride home. She was going to refuse but she couldn't think of good reason to do it.

Mason seemed good enough with her presence and it seemed like he left the past behind. There was no reason they couldn't be decent business partners and colleges. So she agreed.

He arrived in front of her building. But none of them got out of the car.

"Do you want to come in for a drink?" The words escaped Katherine's mouth before she was able to stop them.

They went upstairs. Katherine poured each of them glass of scotch. The conversation kept flowing.

I that time Katherine found herself feeling comfortable again. Like she haven't for some time now.

It's hard to say who kissed who first. It just happened. They fell into old habits.

They moved to Katherine's bedroom losing clothes as they went. They were both naked when they reached the bed.

The kisses, the touches, the thrusts – everything came easy to them. They knew each other well. The familiarity of this act made both of them feel safe. Going back to past when it was all simple.

But as soon as Katherine finished, she realized that it was mistake.

Sex with Mason was always good. This time was no exception. But now it felt like something was missing. It was satisfying but it lacked passion. In the midst of her current problems it felt nice to go back to things that made her comfortable, that made her feel secure.

Yet she also realized that she wasn't that girl anymore. She couldn't let herself regress.

There was a reason they broke up in the first place. Their priorities were different.

Mason could make a good friend. A great ally. But not a boyfriend – not anymore.

"Mason…" She started insure of her words. "You know this was a onetime thing, right?"

"I'm not that naïve Katherine. I realize that." He said as he dressed himself up. "We had good fun. But that's it. It was nice to reminisce the good stuff but as I told you earlier – I moved on."

"But our deal still stands?" Katherine asked.

"Yes, Katherine." He assured her. "I want this company more than _anything_ else." He approached the door. "I will be waiting for your call. Goodbye Katherine and goodnight."

"Goodnight Mason." She said as he left her apartment.

* * *

**So what do you think about chapter 2? Hate it? Like it? **

**Thanks to: _The Charmed Rose, Guest _and_ LiasonAddekKalijahFan _for reviewing. Love you much! - There will be Kalijah present time interaction soon (in one or two chapters) be patient. It will be good. I promise :)**

**As always thank you for reading.**

**Much Love.**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Another chapter? So soon? How did that happen?**_

**Hi everyone! Yes it is in fact another chapter. I wanted to give it to you sooner, since you had to wait long for chapter 2 and also since "To catch up with lost time" is on hiatus.**

**I want to thank Eloise (KCisEternity) for helping me so much with this chapter. She is my Klaus advisor. Thank you for answering all of my annoying questions so patiently sweetie :)**

**Kassy, This chapter has some Kalijah interactions, I hope this one keeps you satisfied :)**

**Thank you all for being so patient. Enjoy chapter 3!**

* * *

_**Chapter 3.**_

After Katherine agreed to Mason plan, she spent the weekend analyzing the situation and preparing for every outcome. The case with Tyler could have saved her company, her deal and her career, everything she worked so hard for. But it could cost her her best friend.

Katherine wanted to shield Caroline from the whole situation. She had to find a way to destroy Tyler and keep Caroline from getting hurt at the same time. Tyler was cheating on Caroline and Katherine wanted that bastard to pay for that but at the same time telling Caroline about that would only cause pain to her friend. And Katherine wasn't sure how Caroline would react to it.

When Katherine was coming back from her office on Monday evening, she received a call on her private number. When she managed to find her phone in her bag, she saw Caroline's name on the screen. At first she was going to let the call go straight to voicemail but she was avoiding Caroline for far too long. If she kept doing it, Caroline would get suspicious.

Katherine took a deep breath.

"Hi Care." She greeted her friend. "What's up?"

"Hey Kat." Caroline responded but she remained silent after that. When Caroline hasn't said anything, Katherine got curious and worried. "Caroline? What is going on?"

"There has been an issue... I... Could you come to my apartment after work?" Caroline seemed a little distressed. Katherine immediately knew something was wrong, she wondered if her friends aggravation was connected to Tyler. Was it possible she somehow found out about him?

"I just left work and I can come over now, if you want to." She heard big sigh of relief on the other end.

"That would be great." Apparently prospect of Katherine's presence was enough to calm her down.

"Ok. I'll be right there." Katherine ended the conversation and put her phone back to her bag. She made her way to now almost empty parking lot and got into her Mercedes.

There had to be something really bad going on, if Caroline wanted to see her as soon as possible. She wasn't the freak-out-over-every-detail kind of person, little things she handled on her own, if she needed help, it had to be something big.

* * *

When Katherine arrived at Caroline's place, she opened the door almost immediately.

"Caroline?" she asked curiously. "What happened?" She stepped into the hallway.

"You want something to drink? You must be thirsty." Caroline tired to shrug off her earlier reaction. She looked ashamed for what she thought was overreacting.

"Caroline..." Katherine urged her to cut to the chase.

"I know. I'm sorry. I don't know why I made such a fuss about it. I bet it's not even a big deal, a misunderstanding." Caroline was speaking fast, not really focusing on Katherine.

When she saw Katherine getting angry, she decided to explain what happened after all.

"Ok. So here's the thing." She started. "l came back home today and security guard told me there is a package that was left for me at the reception. He asked if I need any help taking it up. I was confused because I wasn't expecting any delivery. Especially a package. But since there was a possibility that Tyler might have ordered something and simply forgot to tell me I asked the guy for help. When he left I opened the box and this was inside." Caroline showed her a painting that was standing on the floor propped against the wall.

"So Tyler bought you a painting?" Katherine asked disoriented, not really understanding what was wrong about this situation.

"That is the point..." Caroline tired to explain but she was interrupted by Katherine.

"Fuck!" She shouted like she was suddenly enlightened. "He bought you one of Klaus' paintings! But they are so freaking expensive. Why would he buy you his painting?"

"Kat will you let me explain!" Caroline got annoyed by the interruption.

"Sure sweetie no need to get mad at me."

"Sorry." Caroline apologized. "It's not that, it's worse." She paused. "Remember when I told you about the exhibition I attended with Tyler?"

"The one that Klaus also attended?" Katherine wanted to clarify.

"Yeah, that one." Caroline confirmed. "So I remember telling Tyler, I really loved that painting. But then I didn't know it was Mikaelson's original. And when I opened it today I thought he really bought it for me, you know. There is our anniversary coming up next week so I thought... but then I found this." Caroline gave Katherine very familiar envelope.

Katherine didn't say a word she just opened it and read the card that was inside.

_Love,_

_I noticed my painting came into your liking. I must say you have an excellent taste. It's a gift that I hope will enrich your apartment. Please accept it as a sign of our pending friendship. _

_Fondly,  
__Klaus Mikaelson_

Katherine was speechless. She looked at Caroline to elaborate.

"It's worse. When Tyler came back earlier he asked me why do I have this painting in our apartment. And I lied to him." She looked away. "I told him I ordered it for your office once you get settled! "

"Caroline!" Katherine didn't like being put in the middle of this. It was Mikealsons they were talking about. Anyone would know she would never want a Mikealson's painting hanging in her office. But apparently Tyler was a foul and he was evidently too worried about his affair to ever notice that. "Did Klaus contact you before this, did you ever talk again after the exhibition?"

"No! I've seen the guy once! At the exhibition – never before, never after." She seemed as clueless as Katherine did.

"Be careful Caroline. Klaus is dangerous guy if it comes to women. Maybe he didn't sleep with as many women as Damon Salvatore and he is more discreet about it but he doesn't respect the women he sleeps with."

"But how do you know all of that?"

"You know Greta Martin?"

"That socialite? Her family were in oil business."

"Yes. Klaus and her were dating for a while until he dumped her like she was some random trash and never spoke to her. She ended up in rehab after her nervous breakdown. Mikaelsons are cruel. Don't let Klaus mess with your life." Katherine's voice was pretty serious.

"I won't trust me." Caroline seemed like she didn't fully get why Katherine was so worried about her.

"I know you Care. You always see good in people – I know you've seen it in me. But with Klaus… If he has set his sight on you, he will not stop until he gets you…"

"Katherine! You know me long enough to know I am not some naïve, weak, brainless Barbie any man can toy with. I am too smart to be seduced by him."

Katherine knew Caroline was right. Her friend was smart and strong but she didn't know Klaus as she did. Caroline was already in a bad situation with Tyler and now Klaus was adding to that.

There needed to be a way to do something about it.

"What do you want to do with the painting? Do you need my help with that?"

"That's why I called you. Do you think you could make that go away? I don't want to get involved with Mikaelson's I don't want Tyler to think there is something happening where there is nothing going on."

"Ok I'll take that and will handle everything. I swear to god these Mikaelsons think they own the world!" She hugged Caroline goodbye and left the apartment, she headed to her car carrying this damn painting with her.

* * *

Elijah wanted to talk to Niklaus about Tyler Lockwood. It was imperative that he knew every single detail of his brother's dealings. When Klaus refused to see him in his office, he made his way to the studio his brother worked in.

He found Niklaus working on a new painting.

Elijah didn't know that much about art, he preferred literature but he always tried to keep up with his brother's work, especially with new exhibitions that were held. He learned to recognized his brother's specific style. The macabre of the subject expressed with dark colors. Somewhat pessimistic for Elijah's taste but nevertheless Klaus' art was recognizable and valued in higher circles, which was a great accomplishment.

The painting his brother was now working on was quite different from the others though. There was a light breaking through the darkness. What's even more peculiar it was a portrait of a women, which his brother rarely did.

Elijah was impressed.

Klaus noticed Elijah's entrance and before he could looked more into the painting Klaus covered it up.

"What are you doing here brother? You know I don't like to be interrupted while I work." He said with accusatory tone.

Klaus treated his studio like a sanctuary. No one was allowed to enter it without his consent. Even his closest siblings – Rebekah and Elijah.

Elijah was perfectly aware of Klaus' discontent but he didn't care for it. He was here with a purpose and since Klaus was not eager to meet him in his office, he made an appearance here.

"You left me no choice ignoring my calls. Refusing to meet with me."

"That should have given you a hint." Klaus announced with a smirk.

"Don't try to be funny with me. You wanted to take part in our family business after all. You came to me offering your help, so own up to it now."

"What is it Elijah? I got the merger deal for you. I think that is what you wanted, isn't it?" Klaus wanted Elijah to leave him with his work. At this moment he felt annoyed with his brother's presence.

"Yes. Yet I cannot help but wonder how did you managed to do it exactly. Or even why were you so eager to take part in family business. Especially if that means helping father in a way."

"Maybe I wanted to help because I finally know how important our family is."

"Don't mock me, brother. You know family is the most sacred thing. You are my family." Elijah tried to reason with Klaus. "I came here to learn everything you did in our case. I need to be prepared for every possibility."

"What did you do to convince Tyler Lockwood to lose the Petrova's deal? What do you have on him?"

Elijah hoped that his brother will understand why Elijah is so concerned about that case. They took big risks and that was why Elijah needed to know Klaus' motivations.

"Nothing that is of your concern brother? Let me take care of that so you can do the rest." Unfortunately Klaus was not going to bend to Elijah's wishes.

* * *

Katherine decided the best way to handle things is to confront the devil right away. She found the address of Klaus' studio on the internet and drove there straight from Caroline's apartment.

She wasn't happy about the idea of seeing Klaus but she thought the confrontation was necessary. She couldn't let him take advantage of her friend. If he wanted to use Caroline as a way to take revenge on her, she would never, ever let that happen. She would never allow Mikaelsons to ruin Caroline's life.

She took the painting with her and made her way inside.

As she step over the threshold of the building, her idea seemed less brilliant. There were many doors and hallways, everything looked the same. That was the feature of the industrial district. Great spaces rebuilt to accommodate people – how was she going to find her way to Klaus' working space now?

She chose one hallway on a hunch and made her way through it. The further she went, the more she though she made wrong choice. The lighting was weaker here and doors seemed unused. What was she thinking?

Deciding to give up and turn around, she heard the noise coming from behind one of the doors.

She came closer only to find out that the noise is actually two separate voices. The voices of people she recognized. The voices she knew very well.

Klaus was there and to her bad luck - Elijah was there too.

Not wanting to reveal her presence just yet, she stayed there to eavesdrop on their conversation. They were talking about business. That she was sure of. Thanks to the words she heard she got the confirmation to her suspicions - Mikealsons were in fact responsible for Katherine losing her deal.

She heard Elijah's voice.

_"What did you do to convince Tyler Lockwood to lose the Petrova's deal? What do you have on him?"_

_"Nothing that is of your concern brother? Let me take care of that so you can do the rest."_

_"It's a blackmail Niklaus. It is illegal. If that ever reaches the authorities our whole company is in danger. I want to know how serious it is and how much of a threat Tyler Lockwood is to us."_

_"He won't be a problem, he has too much to lose."_

_"I hope you are not wrong, brother."_

The longer she stood there listening in on their conversation, she risked getting discovered. She had a choice to make – to go in and confront Klaus in front of Elijah or go away and use the information she got here to her advantage.

Katherine wasn't a coward. She came here to do something and she was not going to leave without taking care of it.

Putting her best '_bitch face'_ on, she opened the door with full force, making huge clunk when they hit the wall.

Both Klaus' and Elijah's eyes immediately locked on the intruder.

"I hope I don't interrupt anything important." She said with a venom in her voice.

It was evident both brothers where surprised to see her here, though Klaus' face revealed also anger.

"What the hell are you doing here!" He shouted at her. He approached her aggressively, trying to intimidate her. "Who gave you the right to be here?!"

"You did." She started walking carelessly towards the nearest table like she own this place. She would not allow Klaus to scare her.

She wasn't ready to see Elijah, she didn't expect him to be here. She didn't want to deal with him. Making her argument focused solely on Klaus allowed her to keep Elijah away from the matter at hand.

"Sending this to Caroline was my invitation." She put the wrapped painting on the table focusing Klaus' attention on it. Until now Klaus had no idea what Katherine was holding. Now he knew.

"This does not involve you! You have no right to meddle in this!" He closed in on her even more furious than before.

"Oh, I do have a right!" Katherine couldn't keep her voice down anymore. "Caroline's my friend. I will not allow you to barge in to her life and ruin it just because you had a caprice."

"I will do whatever I want. I don't need your permission to befriend Caroline." He laughed at her face. He showed her he didn't care for anything she said. He wasn't afraid of her.

"Stay away from her! Or I will personally find you and make you suffer the tortures you can't possibly imagine." Katherine wasn't going to give up. Klaus was an asshole with huge ego. But she wasn't an angel herself. She was able to be as ruthless as he was.

"Get the fuck out!"

In that moment Elijah decided to intervene, not wanting this situation to go into the wrong direction. Things were already bad on their families front. There was no way he would allow it to become even worse.

"It's better you leave, Katherine." He said to her. He looked at her but he tried not to focus on her too much. Standing between Katherine and his brother made him feel unsettled.

"Oh. I will. I have no desire in spending one more second in this place." She spatted at Elijah. Making her way out, she once more faced towards Klaus. "If you ever bother Caroline again, it will be the last thing you do." With that words she made her way out, leaving them confused and mad.

* * *

"I can't believe her! She has the nerve to come_ here_ and threatened _me_." Katherine's visit pushed Klaus over the edge. Even though she was no longer in the room her appearance was still affecting him, his voice was still raised and he was pacing angrily across the room.

Elijah knew his brother was a impulsive man. But this reaction was even too much for him. He understood why Klaus could have hated Katherine so much, why he could have though he was justified to do so. But this visit wasn't that big of a deal to make Klaus behave like this. Unless there was something Elijah didn't know. Something Klaus was keeping to himself.

"What was she talking about, Niklaus?"

Elijah hoped Klaus will let him in on this secret. But Klaus was not going to budge.

"Nothing. She is putting her nose where it doesn't belong."

Seeing Klaus being secretive again Elijah decided to change the strategy. "The girl, Caroline, who is she?"

"She's Tyler's fiancé. I told you I have things covered."

"You call that covered?! You are blackmailing him and now you are also courting his fiancé. Are you insane?"

"I know what I'm doing Elijah. I don't need anyone telling me what to do. Not Tyler, not you and especially not Katherine _the Evil Queen_ Pierce."

"I think you should do what she told you to, in this case. You are playing with fire, if you are making moves on Tyler's fiancé just to spite him, he will find a way to destroy you and all of us, sooner or later. Or Katherine will, I have no doubt about her vendetta against our family."

"Are you defending her?!" Klaus couldn't believe his brother would take a side of his enemy. The person he hated almost the most of all. "She is her father's daughter Elijah. Keep that in mind. She and her family are nothing but a disease. They care only about themselves!"

"I am not taking her side. But you are not thinking clearly right now? Why are you so intent on involving this girl into this messy situation? Ruining her life just to make a point isn't right, Niklaus." Elijah already seen too many lives ruined because of Mikaelsons vs. Petrovas family fray. He didn't want to another soul destroyed.

Elijah, in that moment, noticed something in his brothers eyes. Something anyone else would miss. Someone who didn't know him as well as he does. The weird behavior, the change in style of his art…

"Niklaus? What is your connection to that girl?"

"I told you she is Tyler's girl."

Klaus became defensive but Elijah wanted to try a little harder to uncover what was his brother hiding. Klaus was a complicated man, hard to communicate and connect with. Elijah, even though they were brothers, had difficulty reaching him. There was a chance Klaus will not reveal anything but he decided to try.

"It is not what I mean."

"Instead of trying to get involve in my personal life you should take care of your own. You don't even see what is happening under your nose."

"What do you mean by that, brother? If you are talking about Tatia. I know what she did and that is a betrayal but we are engaged and everyone deserves a second chance. I am prepared to give it to her, to work through our issues." Elijah though it was a despicable thing to use Tatia's affair to distract him but Klaus didn't expect that he already knew that.

"Are you that navie brother?" Elijah could hear Klaus' ostentatious laugh. "You are a fool then. She cheats on you with him and you accept that and move on?! How will you bare to look at him the whole time?!"

"Why would I be required to do that. Tatia also promised it was just a onetime thing. We will try to work on that to repair our realtions."

"How do you think you will manage that? You will stop working and won't see father at all! Don't be foolish they did it more than once."

Klaus' words reached Elijah with a delay. Word "father" ringing in his ears making his skin burn and causing his brain to explode. The only thing that came to his mind was that it has to be some kind of a sick joke Niklaus made. It was not possible, it couldn't be real.

Elijah's shock and disbelief were apparent to Klaus, who realized that his brother was not aware of the secret, he revealed.

"So you didn't know that?" He asked looking for Elijah's reaction.

"Tatia and Mikeal… had an affair…" This was even hard for Elijah to verbalize. Saying it out loud made it so much worse to him.

"I think they still do it." Klaus pointed out.

"Why did you keep that away from me if you knew all this time?"

It was unbelievable. His fiancé cheated on him with not one but two men. One of them being his own father! And his brother, his closest family member knew about it all the time but hasn't said a single word!

"I thought we were better than this, Niklaus. That we, as brothers, were closest to each other. That the trust we had for each other was mutual. I thought our bond was as strong from your part as it was from mine. I was mistaken, it seems." The disappointment was emanating from Elijah's voice. But Klaus did not feel guilty about hiding the truth from him.

"I kept this from you because I didn't want our family to suffer. As much as I hate Mikeal and I would gladly have all of you hate him, this would have hurt family more than it would hurt him. I was thinking about our family. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"But I was going to marry her. Would you keep that to yourself too if she was my wife?"

"I never liked Tatia and I always though marrying her was a bad idea. I told you she would break your heart, because you can't trust her. I told you many times that this relationship was a farce but you didn't listen to me then. Love is a weakness. People will betray you. Family is who you trust because in family we take care of each other. Family above all Elijah, remember?"

"You should have told me the moment you learnt about it. It would be better that way. We didn't have to involve Rebekah or Kol. But I should have known that." How could his brother think it was better thing to do?

With the news he just learnt today, Elijah forgot all about why he came to see Klaus. His business was pushed to the side. He couldn't bring himself to think about the company right now.

He needed time process it, to be away from everything right now.

Even though Elijah knew, he will never be angry with Klaus or blame him for hiding the truth, he had to leave right now. His brother was too important to him, they went through hard times supporting each other and they will always be close but for now he just needed to keep his distance. Figure out what to do from now on.

* * *

When Elijah got back to his hotel room he poured himself a glass of scotch. And sat down on the leather couch. Trying to keep his emotions at bay and his head clear of the problems at hand, he tried the art of distraction.

He turned on his TV looking for some information channels but got quickly annoyed by the news programs. Humanity was on a way to self destruction, acting without reason or intelligence. Blindly following the current trends, no matter how destructive they were. Watching it was not a way to spend this evening.

Turning TV off he sipped his drink in a silence.

Surprisingly his thoughts went into direction he never thought they would.

He didn't think about his business, worse and worse relations in his family or Tatia's unforgivable betrayal. He only thought about her.

_Katerina._

Seeing her today must have stirred his memories and awaken some forgotten emotions inside of him. Emotions he tired really hard to keep buried for so many years.

Having flashbacks of memories involving Katherine was not going to help him at all now but he welcomed them while he soaked in alcohol.

###

_It was a middle of the night and Elijah was already asleep in his apartment when a call waked him up. He was going to ignore it at first because he didn't recognize the number but in the end he decided against it._

_"Mister Elijah Mikealson?" He heard on the other end of the line._

_"Yes. What is it about?"_

_"Mister Mikaelson. This is officer Trevor Ford from 15th precinct." The man introduced himself in a very polite way._

_"Yes, officer. Can you tell me what happened? What is your call concerning?" There was no worry apparent in Elijah's voice but his mind was telling him that something wrong had to happen since he is receiving this call so late at night._

_"It's about your brother Kol. He and his companion, miss Katerina Petrova, were arrested tonight when some officers raided the club on 47th street." Officer informed Elijah. "Because your family has…" He wanted to motion Mikaelson family generous donations to the police department but he decided against it. "He and miss Petrova are here at the station. We haven't processed them yet though." It was obvious from his voice he was intimidated by Mikaelson name. "We wanted to call your father but your brother insisted that we call you instead."_

_"Thank you officer. There is no need to notify my parents. I will be right there." Elijah thanked the officer. He assured him of his family's gratitude. Promising to keep his name in mind. _

_Money provided great allies, especially in this city. It gave the power to keep his siblings out of trouble._

_Elijah dressed himself and made his way to the precinct. _

_###_

_"Drugs?! What were you thinking?! Look at Kol! He is barely conscious!"_

_Elijah was driving car to take them both home. _

_When he got to the precinct and heard what happened he thought he would kill them both right there. How could they be so stupid and got involved in things like that. Now Kol was lying in the back seat half awake. Not wanting to say anything. Apparently he assumed no explanation was needed. _

_"Of course you would assume it's my fault. Just like everyone else would!" Katherine looked at him from a passenger seat. She was in a better shape than Kol. _

_She looked exhausted but that didn't stop her from being mad at Elijah for putting a blame on her._

_"Katerina I am not accusing solely you. I am mad at both of you. Mixing drugs with alcohol. How did you even…?" _

_Elijah didn't finish his scolding because they arrived at the Mikaelson's mansion. _

_"Wait here. I will drive you home later. Now I will get Kol inside and make sure no one sees him in this state." He got out and grabbed Kol from backseat to carry him into the house._

_When Elijah got back. He just got inside turned the engine on and drove. None of them spoke for a while. _

_"I didn't take any…" Katherine interrupted the silence. Her voice was broken. "And I tried to stop him. Alcohol is fun and all but drugs are too much, even for me." She didn't look at Elijah when she spoke. She was staring at the road in front of her. "Kol needs help."_

_"He will get it. I will make sure of it." He promised her. There was no longer anger in his voice._

_"Elijah?" She wanted to ask him something but apparently couldn't find a right words._

_"Yes?"_

_"About the arrest?"_

_"I made sure no one will know about this. Your parents included."_

_"Thank you."_

_"Don't thank me. But it's the last time I do it." _

_"But you came. In the middle of the night. You were the one Kol and I could count on."_

_"I am his brother…" Of course he came. She and Kol were one of the closest people in his life. Even though Katerina wasn't technically part of his family, he always thought of her this way. _

_"I am sorry that I was a trouble to you"_

_Elijah could tell she was disappointed with his words even though she tried her best to hide it._

_"It's not what I meant."_

_The rest of the way to Katerina's home they drove in silence again._

_"Would you mind walking me to the door?" Katerina asked him when they arrived at her family residence._

_"Of course I will, if that is what you want." He saw her nodded as a sign of confirmation._

_As they approached a doorstep Katherine turned to face him._

_"Goodnight Elijah." Katherine took a step forward towards him "Thank you." She said as her lips suddenly touched his. The kiss taking Elijah by surprise._

_It was gentle, soft kiss. Her lips barely scraped his but it was enough to make his blood pressure rise. Elijah wanted to kiss her back but it wasn't the time. Nor the place._

_"Katerina, what are you doing?" He said as he broke away from her lips._

_"I'm seducing you. Isn't that obvious?" She said seductively. "I like you, for a while now, but you don't seem to notice me. I bet if I took off all of my clothes right now, you wouldn't even look at me. All proper, with all your rules." Without hesitation she pulled her top over her head and threw it to the ground revealing her tiny bra. "Or you are that good in hiding what you want." She said with a devious smile._

_Elijah was shocked. He didn't know what to do with her. He quickly grabbed his jacket and put in on her to cover her body. _

_He couldn't help it but he noticed her lacy undergarment. I hadn't covered much of her perfect body. He didn't want to look but she was exquisite. And she looked mature, more than her current age. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't interested in her. She fascinated him with her confidence and sense of freedom. People only saw her as an rebelled, ungrateful and spoiled teenager but he knew it wasn't her. _

_Still, he wasn't going to act on this feeling. He knew his father wouldn't approve. It wouldn't be a good move to date Katerina. Neither for him nor for her. _

_"I am too old for you." He said looking right into her eyes. _

_"Yes, yes. It's inappropriate. What would our families say? They wouldn't be happy about their oldest son, their trusted heir, golden boy fucking seventeen-year-old party girl." She mocked him._

_"Katerina I am serious."_

_"For gods sakes Elijah! You are twenty, not forty! If you like me that shouldn't be a problem. In a few years that difference will matter to no one." She tried to make him admit to his desires._

_"But it matters now." He said. "Goodnight, Katerina. Sleep well." He kissed her forehead and turned away wanting to reach his car as fast as he could. One more look into her hypnotic eyes in a shade of Bulgarian rose and he knew he might just not have enough strength to refuse her once more._

_He took a step forward when he felt her hand grabbing his left arm, stopping him from leaving._

_She looked right into his eyes, but he felt like she touched his soul with her own._

_"Elijah…" She whispered to him. Her mood suddenly changed. She no longer appeared as self confident, sassy girl he saw few minutes ago. Now it was broken, vulnerable woman standing in front of him. _

_The aura she given away made him want to take care of her, protect her._

_Elijah cupped her delicate cheek, caressing her olive skin. He brought his face closer towards hers, their foreheads touching. _

_Katherine closed her eyes. This little moment between them was so intimate they felt like the only two souls in the world. _

_"I need you Elijah." Her words were barely hearable. "You are the only person that wants to see the good in me."_

_"It's not true Katerina. Your family..."_

_"Yes it is." She was prepared to say something more but Elijah stopped her with a kiss. _

_This one was not innocent like the last one. This one carried passion as they never felt before. Their lips were longing for more, desperate for every bit of connection and comfort they were prepared to give to each other. Their bodies entwined together, hands hungrily roaming around their bodies. Katerina's fingers found Elijah's silky hair, his hands rested on the small of her back, bringing her closer to him._

_They were starving and in that moment they found their nourishment. Both in need of deeper connection no one else ever gave them._

_Their breathing was heavy, it was hard for them to catch a breath but their lips were reluctant to part. When they finally did they eyes were still locked with each other. _

_Neither of them wanted to end this moment but the night was almost over and Katerina had to get back home. They were risking someone noticing them._

_"We can't do this here." Elijah was barely able to articulate the words._

_"I know. It's not the right place."_

_"And not the right time."_

_They both agreed._

_"Promise me Elijah." Katerina didn't need to finish the sentence because Elijah knew perfectly well what she meant. _

_"I promise on every fiber of my being that I will always be here for you. Whenever you need me."_

_"Goodnight Elijah." She smiled again. But this one was sweet and full of hope._

_"Goodnight Katerina. Get some rest." He kissed her cheek and left to his car. _

_As he saw her going into the house, he drove away._

###

This was the last time he saw her before _it _happened. Before they learned the truth.

He made the promise that night that he couldn't keep. The only promise that he broke in his life. He did it for his family and he knew it was a right choice. Family was the most important thing in his life. Yet somehow he couldn't help but wonder if things could have been different.

* * *

**That is the end of chapter 3! Thank you guys for reading it!**

_**vdslover1864, gemma, The Charmed Rose **_**thank you for your reviews. I hope you continue enjoying my story! :)**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Much Love.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, hello all my lovely readers. Here I am with another update - Chapter 4 - I know some of you were waiting for it impatiently... **

**I must admit this chapter was really hard for me to write and even though it turned out different than I expected it to, I hope you find it enjoyable and satisfactory.**

**I dedicate this chapter to amazing Kassy! I would not be able to write this chapter without your kind words and encouragement !**

**Warning: This story is rated M for a reason. This chapter includes sexual content, so if you are not comfortable with that, please do not read the following.**

**Everyone else, enjoy this chapter! I am not going to keep you waiting any longer ;)**

* * *

**_Chapter 4._**

When Katherine finally got back home, she felt tired, drained. The experiences of the last days laid heavily upon her.

Meeting both Klaus and Elijah after all this time exhausted her. She was ready for fight with Klaus. But seeing Elijah – that really took the toll on her. He was the person she didn't want to face right now. Or ever.

She still wasn't done with her problems. The hardest part was still in front of her.

Katherine had to come up with a good plan to force Tyler out of the company and keep Caroline safe at the same time. And it will definitely not be easy task to handle. Caroline deserved to know the truth about what her fiance did but there was no good way to tell her. Katherine felt conflicted.

She sat in front of her desk in her home office, with an intention to work. She saw her inbox was full of messages so she went through her e-mails first.

There were some urgent emails she had to answer. When she went through them she came across the message from Mister Saltzman. As she opened it, she realized, it was news on his further findings.

She read it pretty thoroughly, report after report.

There was information about Richard's political career being a possibility, which she already knew so she didn't put much thought into it.

Slatzman also sent some pictures of Mason going on some meetings. But he was smart enought not to get cought with whoever he met.

Apparently he was having an affair with a woman that was already taken. Katherine wasn't surprised. He wasn't dating anyone and Mason was a really handsome and charming men, if he wanted to be. It was never a secret that women loved him.

This information was interesting but without knowing the identity of the woman it was useless to her.

She went through the rest of the message, when she stumbled upon another information about Tyler.

What she discovered, made hers speachless. This was the kind of news she was waiting for but at the same time she wished that it wasn't true. So far this was only assumption but if this was true it would be her chance to get rid of Tyler, especially if this news would reach Richard's ears.

* * *

###

_Katerina never imagined that night ending like this. Kol was getting out of control, being more reckless than she imagined. He was so high that he was getting in fights and destroying the club's property. When the owners called for cops, she thought she will be finished. Her family would have banished her to some hellhole of a private school, maybe even in a different country. She assumed they will never speak to her again._

_But when she realized that cops recognized Kol's name and decided to call his family instead of pressing charges, she saw light of hope. She persuaded Kol to insist on calling Elijah, instead of Esther – that was the only way they could get out of this without no one knowing._

_If Esther was notified instead of Elijah, she would have not only informed Katerina's father but she would have also put all blame on her and make sure she never entered Mikaelson's house ever again._

_There was no saying what would Elijah do but he was Katerina's best option..._

_She should have known he will blame her for Kol's condition too. _

_She hoped he would understand her. He was different than others. He didn't treat her like the black ship everyone else thought she was. He always respected her, was kind to her and never ever said a single bad word about her._

_It was one of the reasons she fell in love with him._

_It took her a while to realize that. _

_She never thought she will fall for a guy like Elijah. So up-tight and moral, always behaving like people expect him too. Yet she was kind of fascinated by him at the same time. He was different than the other guys she knew. _

_He had this aura of mystery emanating from him. The way he carried himself with class, was so seductive Katerina became fascinated with him._

_So when he didn't believe her in that moment when they were in the car, on a way home, she felt hurt and betrayed. She wanted so badly to be understood by him in that moment._

_When they arrived at her house first thing she wanted to do was run inside and leave him behind but she gathered all her courage and tried something else instead._

_She only had one chance and this moment was as good as any. And frankly she felt that if she does not do it now, it will be too late for that. – It was now or never..._

_The moment they kissed meant more than air to her. _

_Then she knew, she was right about him all along. He saw the different her. The real her. She was feeling the connection they shared through every fiber of her being. _

_This kiss told her that her feeling wasn't one-sided. He cared for her too. He wanted her too. That was what his lips and his hands were telling her._

_She wanted him too. _

_She wanted to be with him in every way. _

_This one moment confirmed everything to her. _

_She loved Elijah. She was in love with him. – And now she had hope._

_###_

_On the next day, when Katerina realized she still had Elijah's jacket, she found a good pretext to talk to him. _

_Knowing he spend most of his days either at university or at work, she decided to try the latter. _

_She made her way to Mikaelson Global Trade. She asked to see Elijah and the reception desk worker pointed her into the right direction. _

_When she was walking down the hallway, she saw Esther Mikaelson heading her way. She must have left Elijah's office. Since Esther didn't work for the company and spend her days running her committee, she had to been visiting her son at work._

_"Katerina?" The Mikaelson matriarch was surprised to see her here. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at school?" It was obvious Esther wasn't happy to see her, especially here. For a moment Katerina wondered if she somehow found out about the arrest from last night. But that would have meant, her parents knew it too. This reaction had to be Esther typical hatred towards her._

_"I came to see Elijah." Katerina answered. She tried to be as confident as she could in front of Elijah's mother but it wasn't an easy task._

_"And why would you disturb Elijah when his working?" Esther's voice was accusatory and full of contempt. _

_Katerina was going to answer but Ester hasn't allowed her to say a word. Instead she attacked Katerina with another accusation. "Is this Elijah's jacket?" She pointed at the garment Katerina was holding in her hand._

_"I was going to give it back to him…" Katherine was going to explain but Esther had to make her own conclusions about the situation. This had to look like Katerina was sleeping with Elijah._

_"Listen to me carefully." She closed the distance between her and the girl. "Get away from my son. He doesn't need someone like you, some cheap whore to drag him down. Keep your dirty hands away from him. After all there is already a girl for Elijah that his family approves of." She took the jacket out of Katerina's hands, not letting her speak. "Go home. And if I ever see you and Elijah together I will make sure your parents will learn about your every activity." She threatened her without any hesitation._

_Katerina didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to think. She was only able to say "You are wrong!" and she make her way out of the office before anyone could see her cry. Especially Esther. She couldn't give that woman the satisfaction of seeing her being hurt._

_As she got outside her body started shaking. _

_She couldn't believe she was so wrong. She couldn't believe she was so stupid. How could she think Elijah and her will become a real couple. Of course there was a women in Elijah's life. She was just an immature teenager to him. Someone he had to handle. _

_Esther words rang in her head over and over again. She felt so humiliated. Esther was a Royalty when it came to bitches but Katherine never did anything to her, she couldn't understood all the hatred that was directed into her. It was like Esther had some hidden vendetta against her._

_Katherine felt so much pain it that moment._

_All she wanted was to do something to make that pain go away._

_###_

Katherine woke up from the dream exhausted. It has been really long time since she dreamt of the old days. She hated these memories. They reminded her of how weak she was then. How weak Katerina was.

And she wasn't Katerina anymore.

She was Katherine. And she had to act like Katherine now. Which meant being tough and not taking no for an answer.

She knew she needed to do what had to be done.

* * *

As the next day approached, Kathterine decided to make her strategy involving come to life.

Thanks to information she received she knew when and where to find Tyler, while he was in the situation thah made him most uncomfortable. To surprise him and get him unsettled, she decided to confront him after his meeting with his mistress.

Katherine knew he always mee her at the same time in the same hotel. So she made her way to the lobby of said hotel and sat down on one of the sofas, ready to wait for him.

It took almost thirty minutes before she spotted Tyler coming out form one of the elevators. Katherine slowly got up from her seat and approached him confidently. The goal was to be notice by Tyler at the last moment. To catch him off gourd. And she managed to do just that.

Tyler noticed her when she was just few feet away from him.

He was definitely surprised to see her. "Katherine? What are you doing here?"

"Well I could ask you the same question but I already know the answer to that." She didn't even hide the disgust in her voice. She loathed men like Tyler. Cowards who were afraid to leave their wives while they kept having affairs, because they were afraid of losing their comfortable lives.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Katherine." Tyler's answer was so predictable and such a cliché Katherine wanted to laugh. She should have known, he will try to play the dumb game and deny anything.

"Listen Tyler." She didn't want to play games with him. "I know everything. So we can either talk here and make a scene or you can meet me in my car and we can find a solution to this really unpleasant situation.

Tyler was looking at her confused. He couldn't even speak out a single word. Realizing Katherine wasn't going to back down or buy his lies. He agreed to follow her to her car.

Katherine had her speech ready, so when they got inside she didn't waste any time. Not wanting to spend any additional second in his company than necessary, she went straight to the business.

"Listen Lockwood." She started. "I don't like you and you don't like me. That was always obvious." Katherine heard him agree with her statement.

"You must be scared as hell now that I know your little secret." She continued while she took the file from her bag and passed it to him. "It is pretty self explanatory." She practically dared him to look inside. She wanted to see the smile disappear from his smug face.

When he finally got the courage to look inside, he went through everything that was inside - mainly photos of him and _his_ _girl_ leaving the hotel or seeing each other in a restaurants. There were also documents containing information about her. Very detailed background check.

Tyler finally understood Katherine isn't joking.

"You had me followed and investigated?" He was outraged. "How did you even get all of these?"

"Oh, please I am not the only one." She seemed amused. "I know Klaus has you in his grasp but _I_ know something Klaus doesn't." Tyler seemed even more confused and scared at the same time. Now he realized Katherine knew about his connection with Klaus and that put him in a really bad position. He didn't expect Katherine to become a serious threat to him.

"I am not scared of you." He tried to save his face.

"But you should. You know, my associate sent me really interesting email lately." She looked into her bag once again and took a little envelope from it. "This little thing is my key to making your life a living hell." She gave it to him as she previously did with a file. "You should have been more careful Tyler."

He looked inside the envelope and his face became really pale.

"That is what I thought." She smirked at him. Katherine couldn't help herself but to gloat over this pathetic piece of garbage. "Here's the deal." She presented her offer. "All of this stays buried, if you resign from your seat to the board and lose the Mikaelson agreement."

"How do you even know…" He was still in shock Katherine was able to find out everything about him. "You can't be serious. I will never agree to this. Ever."

"Well then Caroline will learn how faithful you were to her. And your father, all the Board members and even media will know that you bred the bastard to some skank, who was so dumb she didn't even graduate from high school and was involved in death of few of her classmates. Real classy Tyler. I am sure your father will be proud."

"You can't do that. What about Caroline?" Tyler was still trying to fight her.

"If you take the deal. No one knows and Caroline doesn't get hurt or humiliated because of all these awful things you did." Katherine didn't believe in her words. She knew she was hurting Caroline by going behind her back. But she saw no other way.

"You are going to regret this, Katherine. I am going to make you pay!"

"Well you are welcome to try. But for now you have no other choice than to play along."

"It's not over, Katherine." Tyler threatened her as he was getting out of her car.

For now Katherine won but she knew, he will find a way to destroy her and she will have to be really careful from now on. Tyler was an asshole and she will have to keep an eye on him.

Now she had one more thing left to do. She needed to figure out the way to make Caroline leave Tyler, without telling her what was happening. Her friend didn't deserved to be lied to but she also didn't deserved to be put in the middle of this mess.

Katherine drove herself home hoping to find a way to get rid of the guilt that was growing inside her head.

* * *

Recent events made Katherine feel awful about herself. Long time ago she had admitted to herself she wasn't a good person but lately she felt worse about herself. She began wondering if she did became next Esther Mikaelson. Sleeping with her old fiancé to help herself with business deal, blackmail, lying to her best friend – the only person that trusted her. All of this was getting too hard for her.

Katherine hated herself for what she did. Doing all these things just to secure the deal was the lowest point in her life. But she couldn't let Mikaelsons win. She couldn't let them destroy everything she worked so hard for. She gave everything up to be who she was now. Even her relationship with Mason. They wanted to take that away. They wanted make her look weak. Feel weak again.

It's been days now that Katherine was trying to make herself feel better. But who was she kidding. She sold herself out just too keep some deal.

But it was important deal. For her. For her father. For the whole family, the whole company.

_You are just a cheap whore, Katerina. _She heard in her head. The words that she will never forget.

She went out of her apartment, grabbed the first cab she could get and went to her favorite bar to make all unwanted feelings to go away.

When she got inside she was happy there weren't many people there. She didn't want to be hit on today. She just went straight to the bar and ordered some whisky.

To get drank – that was her goal tonight. She looked at the glass before her and played around with it a little. Then she drank all the content at once. She wasn't done. She ordered herself a refill and drank it. Slowly this time. Yet all of her feelings weren't going away.

She changed strategy. She ordered vodka shot next.

Drinking it, she felt this burning feeling in her gullet but it was immediately replaced but this warmth that spread through her body. Yet she still wasn't drunk enough.

Katherine wanted to order another round but the waiter gave her a glass of scotch.

"I didn't order that." She said angrily thinking he has mixed up his orders.

"No but the gentlemen sent it for you." He said pointing in the man's direction.

Katherine didn't look that way though. She paid her bill deciding to change bars. Then she grabbed the drink she was given with the intention to give it back to the man. She also felt a need to give him a piece of her mind with it.

She went into his direction very irritated when she suddenly stopped.

_Oh god, no! _She was pleading. It was the worst week in her life and now she sees him. She wanted to turned around and leave but his voice stopped her.

"I see you got my drink, Katerina." he said slowly. His eyes piercing hers with great intensity.

"Elijah." She whispered confused. Why was he here? Why did he sent her a drink? Why was he making her feel like she couldn't breathe now? And why couldn't he call her Katherine like everyone else?

_Oh Katherine snap out of it. He's playing with you. Play his game and win it._ She told herself and automatically put a smirk on her face.

"I see you're getting drunk on a week night." She laughed at him putting the drink before him.

"I could say the same thing about you." He smiled at her. She noticed a challenge in his eyes.

"Yes. But I am not the proper one." _Game on._ "I am the _immature and irresponsible_ one. _You_ are suppose to be the voice of reason, the sense one, the ideal we are all suppose to follow." She didn't even hide the sarcasm in her voice.

"Oh, yes that." He responded.

No biting back. No snarky comment. No insult. What was going on?

She was going to leave him there but he continued.

"Why don't you sit and join me, Katerina?" He asked her. His voice was soft. Nice. Like it wasn't Elijah talking to her. At least not the Elijah she knew of now.

She wanted to tell him that he was out of his mind but she was tipsy and there was something in his eyes. Something she couldn't refuse. She sat silently across the table.

He pushed the glass in her direction and she took it. She drank it without a word. She needed it to gain courage.

"Why are you here? Drinking? By yourself?" She finally asked.

Yet he didn't give her an answer. Instead he waved at a waiter who brought them new drinks. Elijah drank it. Katherine did the same.

While she was drinking a thought appeared in her mind. It was 23rd today. July 23rd.

"It's your birthday!" She said to loudly before she could stopped herself. The words just spilled out from her mouth.

He smiled again. This time his smile was gentle. Warm. "Yes Katerina. It's my birthday." He said and emptied his glass.

"You remember after all this time." He added after a while.

Of course she remembered. His birthday growing up was all she waited for every year. But she couldn't say it to him.

"I did. I am good with dates." She added to help herself.

"Yes, you are." He stated. And ordered another round.

What was happening. Katherine was getting drank with her biggest enemy. The man that hated her during her whole grown-up life. She should be spilling drink in his face and he should be insulting her in his very own - proper way. Yet there are sitting here like two friends - getting drank.

Katherine should have hated it. Yet she didn't. She blamed it on alcohol but sitting here with him, even thought it made her feel a little uncomfortable, it also made her feel safe. There was a familiar way about it.

The waiter came again with the same order. And they once again drank it in silence.

There was a tension between them. But the good kind of one. Emotions were all over the place. Even thought they weren't talking, all that they felt was written on their faces. Maybe if they were sober one of them would say something or do something to hide it. Katherine almost did. She almost wanted to say goodbye to him and leave right away. She was _almost_ opening her mouth to speak.

"I have a room upstairs Katerina." He said looking right at her. "Will you join me?"

These words made her heart stop.

If she was sober, she would have told him to fuck off. If she was sober, she would have slapped him in the face for suggesting that. If she was sober, she would have said goodbye and left.

But she wasn't.

She looked into his eyes once again. "Yes." She whispered.

He got up from his chair and offered her his hand. She took it. She got up from her seat and followed him to the elevator.

When they got inside, she was standing so close to him, she could sense his smell. Of course there was alcohol she sensed, but it was also something else - delicate hint of his soap colliding with heavier scent of his cologne. She could have sworn that she also smelled a sunrays on him. Or maybe she was just drunk.

The elevator ride was painful to Katherine. Their hands were still touching and this subtle gesture made her long for what will come next. Each second was a torture. When they reached his floor, she stepped out of elevator first and Elijah followed her, like the gentleman he was.

Thousand thoughts run through Katherine's mind when they were walking to his room.

Why does he have a room if he lives in the city? Why is she going with him? Why did he asked her? What about his fiancé? What is she doing? She just slept with another man and hated herself for it and now she was doing the same thing.

When they reached his room and he gently put his hand on a small of her back, all her doubts magically vanished. If there was chemistry between them when they were sitting down in a bar, after they entered the room, it just went off the charts. Of course it wasn't like Elijah to throw himself at a woman the first moment they went into the room. No. He went over to the minibar and offered her another drink.

"Would you like something to drink, Katerina?" The way he said her name. It was almost too sexual for her to handle.

"No." she responded. "I think I had enough." She knew she wouldn't be able to control herself after another drink.

Instead she looked around the room and walked toward the little table. She put her handbag on it when she felt his presence behind her. She wanted to turn around but he stopped her.

"Don't move, Katerina" he whispered to her ear while his hands rested on her shoulders. He rubbed them softly and then brushed away her locks to one side to gain easy access to her neck. Just this simple touch made her shiver. Her breathing became heavier.

"You smell so good." She felt his hot breath on her neck when he whispered and he kissed her neck. She let out a small cry, when his soft lips rested on her skin. His every touch was igniting a fire in her body.

Katherine could feel his hand moving from her shoulder to her back. She felt him unzip her dress. Elijah was still kissing her neck while his hands were exploring her newly-naked skin until her dress was finally resting on the ground.

The way he made her feel. She never felt that before and she wanted more.

In spite of his protests she turned around and looked him straight in the eyes. They were beautifully brown. She could just lost herself in his eyes for all eternity.

Elijah's hands now moved onto her hips and she could sense their bodies moving closer. As her answer she put her hands behind his head.

She wanted to relive the moment they once had.

She smiled at him and kissed him.

The moment their lips met she almost stopped breathing. Her body responded to him immediately. While his lips were caressing hers she felt his hands move along her back. Her hands in the meantime slid into his hair without her realizing it.

For Katherine it was like their lips were made to kiss each other. Everything felt so good, so natural, so right.

The kiss was gentle at first but she noticed him pressing his lips harder against hers, while his hands were playing with the hem of her underwear.

She opened her mouth slightly and breathed out against his.

She couldn't think. She didn't want to think. Not now. Later. But not now. Now she felt like she was on top of the world. She longed to be touched by him, kissed liked that her whole life and she didn't want it to stop. It felt amazing. Having his strong body against her was liberating and exhilarating.

His hands moved to the front and Elijah cupped her breasts massaging them softly. Katherine's body arched back even though he was touching her through the lace of her bra.

Yet his hands didn't stay there long. She felt his right hand moving lower, down on her belly.

She knew what will happened next. Or at least she hoped it will.

His firm fingers slid into her panties and she felt them slip against her wet folds.

"You are so wet for me." He whispered against her lips. His words almost made her come on the spot.

"Elijah." She said his name. Yet it was barely hearable.

She wanted more of him. So when he withdrew his hand she felt disappointed. The frustration was eating her alive.

Katherine looked at him furious, trying to make him go back but it was unnecessary. She suddenly realized what he was doing.

He slid her panties slowly down her legs, enjoying every inch of torture he provided her. Now she was wearing only her hills and her bra and he was still fully dressed in his expensive suit. The only thing he must have took off, when she wasn't looking was his suit jacket.

Somehow. She had no idea how. She found herself next to the bed. He pushed her gently, making her lay on it. He was looking at her with this admiration and desire that made her lack for words.

"Sit down, Katerina." He said in commanding tone.

She wanted to feel him inside her so badly.

She half-sat half-lied on the side of his bed, resting on her forearms, watching as he kneeled before her. He spread her legs as wide as he could while looking her straight in the eyes for the entire time.

She gulped. Her heart was beating so fast, it nearly burst out of her chest.

"I can smell your arousal." He said, not breaking their eye contact.

"I wonder how you taste." Katherine heard him say and it seemed like her end was near.

Somehow she managed to pull all her courage and strength together and answer him with a challenge. "Why don't you find out…"

She saw a smile appear on his face.

He started by kissing her inner thigh. Slowly, gently caressing her skin inch by inch. Driving her insane. Each time he was getting closer she thought she will explode.

He continued to tease her, planting his kisses in every place, except where she wanted his lips to be. She could feel his hot breath on her wet core and when he intentionally blew the air on her, she cried out his name.

"Elijah…" She didn't know, if she could handle this sweet torture any longer "Elijah, please…"

To her satisfaction he listened to her plea and put her thigh on his shoulders while burying his head between her legs. At first he focused mainly on her clit. Licking it, kissing it and sucking on it. He changed intensity of his tongue. At times he was gentle, then he became greedy and acquisitive and the soft again.

Katherine was moaning loudly, her hands grabbing the sheets beneath her. When she felt his fingers slipping into her wet, hot core she arched her back wanting for more. She was so close. Drops of sweat were covering her whole body.

"More." she heard herself moan to him. " Oh, god…" It was hard for her to focus on the words she wanted to say.

Elijah's tongue became more aggressive. His fingers were moving in and out of her fast, pressing on her inner walls more intensely every time he inserted them.

"Elijah… Yes…" She was almost there. The sensation was so intense, she had to shot her eyes closed to be able to breathe. With the feeling starting in her core and spreading across the whole body the familiar warmth spilled inside her. She screamed Elijah's name once more as she came undone under his touch.

She was lying on the bed breathing heavily, not being able to move. She saw him laying himself next to her and she gathered all her strength to move and kiss him.

This kiss was different. More possessive. It was something perverse about the fact that she not only tasted him in that kiss but also tasted herself. Katherine suddenly became bolder, more confident. She stopped the kiss and looked him right in the eyes.

"And what's the verdict?" She asked with a cocky smile.

He smiled back knowing exactly what she was asking about. "You taste exquisite."

This time he kissed her. Long, deep kiss connected their souls. But Katherine wasn't going to stop on it. She wanted more. She wanted everything he could offer.

"I love you in the suite." She grabbed his tie and loosened it. "But what I'd love more…" her hands got rid of the tie and threw it across the room "is to see you without it." She whispered to his ear gently biting his earlobe.

Katherine started to slowly undress him. She unbuttoned his shirt. Her fingers playing with bare skin of his chest every time another button was undone.

She got lost in the moment. The both did. Now, in this room, she felt happy. Happier that she was in a very long time.

She saw him looking at her with his serious but hopeful look.

"What do you want Elijah?" she asked him.

"I don't understand?" he did not know what she meant with this question.

"Today is your birthday Elijah and you can have everything you want." She explained to him. "What do you want?" The question sounding definite.

He didn't answer her for a while, like he was considering her offer. He was still looking at her with his beautiful brown eyes.

"I want you." He finally said. "I want you to be mine. I want you, the whole you and I want you to want only me." His voice echoing across the room.

Suddenly the situation between them became pretty serious. Katherine didn't expected this kind of answer. She was hoping to her confession about sexual fantasies that he wanted to fulfill. But what Elijah said made her speechless and afraid. She didn't want that night to end, yet she knew exactly they can't have anything beyond it. It wouldn't ever worked. It couldn't.

"I am yours tonight. Tonight you can have me whole." She finally responded planting a gentle kiss on his lips, countinuing what she stopped.

* * *

**That was intense, wasn't it?**

**So, smut? Yey or Ney? Do you want more in the next chapter or do we skip the sex?**

**Thanks to everyone who reads, follows and favorited this story. I love you guys so much, every single one of you !**

**As always I apologize for my mistakes. You know English is not my first language but I try my best :)**

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**_vdslover1864 -_ Thanks for reviewing, I hope more Kalijah in this chapter is satisfying. The reveal of the past even is coming I promise :)**

**_MyNeens_ - Kassy thank you for your review babe! Please don't torture me and tell me what you think about this chapter. I hope you like Kalijah here, I tried my best :D It means so much that you love this story ! **

**_romanticolors_ - Yes. Katerina had a hard past. In this chapter you see more of it. Thanks for the review :)**

**_The Charmed Rose_ - Thank you, love. I am happy you like this story. ;)**

**_La Melodie_ - Thank you so much! Your review was so nice, I am happy you think my story is good! :) It will be hard to write next chapters after such a great review.**

**_LiasonAddekKalijahFan_ - Thank you honey! It's great you love this. Happy you like my Kalijah relations but also my Klatherine relations too, they all are important here. ;)**

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**I am waiting to hear what you think. Please review !**

**See you with chapter 5.**

**Much Love !**


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